From Intern to

From Intern to Published Researcher

Ainaz Sharabyani, a bio-chem major at Chaffey College found herself in the quintessential college experience.

Sharabyani observering Southern House mosquitos Southern House mosquitos in a jar

While interning at the West Valley Mosquito Control District, Ainaz Sharabyani participated in several different projects all focusing on the comparison to the susceptibility of the southern house mosquitoes, also known as Culex quinquefasciatus, from the field to the laboratory reference colony of the same species.

According to their website, the West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District is a public health district dedicated to the management of disease causing insects and animals.

This is where Sharabyani spent her summer studying the pyrethroid resistance in Culex quinquefasciatus from different ecological niches. Mosquitoes are widely known for their ability to spread contagious diseases such as the West Nile virus, malaria and yellow fever. Thus, the West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District has the mission to manage and survey animals and insects that spread disease.

“The mosquito either makes mutations or creates a new enzyme to breakdown the permethrin, so they won’t be responding to it. Therefore, if any resistance develops we want to know how, when and what’s the dosage level. So, we started setting traps in different four eco zones: an urban, suburban, agriculture, and riparian area.” Sharabyani shared. “Pregnant mosquitoes are attracted to infusion water, which is just rabbit food and water. Once we placed the infusion water in a plastic tub, we’d wait a day to then collect the eggs and take them back to the lab in order to watch them hatch and become adults.” she continued.

Their project hypothesized that the mosquitoes would have least susceptibility to the pesticide for the riparian area. Once back in the lab,

Defying the typical internship experience, the internship program gave Sharabyani the opportunity to write a 24 page report for the Journal of Economics Entomology.

While studying with the West Valley Mosquito Control District and her mentor Dr. T. Steven Su, it remained clear Sharabyani gained an abundance of knowledge.

Despite a busy schedule, Ainaz executed what most interns only dream of. After weeks of rigorous work in the field, Ainaz felt she received an exceptional learning experience this summer. Although she had no prior expertise in mosquitoes before her internship, she displayed an abundance of knowledge through her research and findings. Nevertheless, she emphasized none of it would be possible without the support of her mentors at West Valley Mosquito Control District. Additionally she was invited to present her findings at the Annual State of California Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California Conference in January in San Diego.

Sharabyani expressed an immense amount of gratitude for the opportunity to dive into a field she was unfamiliar with prior to the internship. Kenya Staley @kenyastaley